Combining Special Materials

[ViperMagnum357]

All the searching through books I have not touched in years for the crit fisher handbook has got me thinking about compatibilities for magic items: specifically, special materials. RAW, it appears you cannot normally create any item out of more than one special material while retaining its unique qualities: hence, most such materials specifying which 'normal' materials they can replace for an item made mostly out of it-metal, wood, whatever.

However, here and there you get exceptions: Ysgardian Heartwire, Pure Ore, Wand Gems, etc. What got me back on this tangent was coming across the description of the Havoc Blade from A&EG, which is described as an unblended swirl of three separate metals that suffers no side effects, yet is not described as deriving any negative properties from the combination of (presumably) common metals. However, the Leafcutter battle axe from Dragon Annual 5 is specifically an alloy of Vakar and Silver, and retains the full effectiveness of both metals, so there is 1st Party precedent. That issue also includes other alloys with varying degrees of retaining special properties of more than 1 special material.

So, my question: is there anything in printed material that allows you to combine 2 or more special materials of your choice into an item while retaining all their qualities? Some spell or alchemical process tucked away in a seldom perused book? I would like anything first party or licensed, but I am willing to settle for OGL if there is nothing readily accessible-as long as it is not homebrew.

[Bronk]

So, my question: is there anything in printed material that allows you to combine 2 or more special materials of your choice into an item while retaining all their qualities? Some spell or alchemical process tucked away in a seldom perused book? I would like anything first party or licensed, but I am willing to settle for OGL if there is nothing readily accessible-as long as it is not homebrew.

Oerthblooded metals (Dragon 351, p45) fit the bill... Oerthblood can be alloyed with other metals to grant some bonuses, and also adds the qualities of adamantine to the finished product.

[HouseRules]

I want to have Cold Silver = Cold Iron + Magical Silver. That way I do not have to deal with DR/Cold Iron and DR/Silver separately. Of course, both Cold Iron and Magical Silver have -1 to damage, so that makes the weapon a -2 to damage.

[Nifft]

Of course, both Cold Iron and Magical Silver have -1 to damage, so that makes the weapon a -2 to damage.

Only silver imposes the -1.

Cold iron is the one that costs more to enhance.

[ShurikVch]

Maybe, not exactly what you're looking for, but still...
Cold forge of Moradin:
Special Ability (Su): A weapon touched to the anvil by a qualifi ed creature gains the ability to overcome damage reduction as if it were silvered and made of both adamantine and cold iron. It gains none of the other properties of those substances, however, so it doesn’t automatically defeat hardness, isn’t more costly to make magical, and doesn’t have a –1 penalty on damage rolls.


Morgan Ironwolf (from the "Ecology of the Adventurer") wields - among the other things - "+5 anarchic axiomatic holy unholy adamantine cold iron silver longsword"

[Maat Mons]

I want to have Cold Silver = Cold Iron + Magical Silver. That way I do not have to deal with DR/Cold Iron and DR/Silver separately.

The truesilver weapon enhancement (Ghostwalk, p64) allows a weapon to overcome DR/silver regardless of it's base material. Gauntlets of weaponry arcane (Magic Item Compendium, p104) is another way to overcome DR/silver with a weapon made of a different material.

A ring of adamantine touch (Magic Item Compendium, p121) makes all your attacks overcome DR/adamantine. And, as mentioned, oerthblood can add the benefits of adamantine to another metal.

I can't find anything similar for cold iron, but I guess you could just have cold iron be the base material of the weapon.

I'm not sure this is worth the total effort it would take though.




So, my question: is there anything in printed material that allows you to combine 2 or more special materials of your choice into an item while retaining all their qualities?

Depending on what you're trying to do, you could just buy a dragonshard pommel stone (The Forge of War, p121). It costs 125% of the price of normal weapon enchantments, but it can be switched from one weapon to another.

Just have a golf bag full of weapons of different sorts, made of different materials, and take 1 minute to transfer the pommel stone to whichever weapon/material combo seems like it will be useful in the upcoming battle.

[mabriss lethe]

Shadow striking can cover a lot of ground: it's a +3 enhancement, but it overcomes any alignment or material based DR a creature might possess and will retain the ability to overcome said DR for roughly the length of an encounter.

[Hand_of_Vecna]

Item templates like feycraft and gloryborn from DMG II are another layer of modification that can be added to an item's materiality before enchanting.

It's a little different, but there are also wand chambers and such from Dungeonscape.

I remember a character I played who was permanently locked into weilding Feycraft Mithril Elven Thinblades. Any other weapon would cause one or more feat chains not to function.

DM: Alright, you get the sword identified, it's pretty sweet.

Me: Is it a Feycraft Mithril Elven Thinblades?

DM: No but

Me: How much can we sell it for?

[Thurbane]

Maybe, not exactly what you're looking for, but still...
Cold forge of Moradin:

That's an interesting find. Shame it needs to be 'recharged" after a week.


I can't find anything similar for cold iron, but I guess you could just have cold iron be the base material of the weapon.

There's a couple of PrCs. Off the top of my head, Cold Iron Warrior (http://archive.wizards.com/default.asp?x=dnd/fey/20040507a) 7.